Reports from Israeli and foreign media on Saturday reveal that Israeli athletes preparing for Paris 2024 have been inundated with death threats and vitriolic messages online.
Walla reported that in recent days, athletes received threatening emails in poor Hebrew and calls from foreign numbers. Over Thursday and Friday, 15 athletes and their teams received emails promising violence if they attended the Olympics, with ominous references to Munich 1972 and instructions to "Prepare for the intifada."
The 1972 Munich Olympics, where eleven Israelis were murdered by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, will be commemorated with a special ceremony during the Paris Games.
French publication Le Point reports that the date and location of this tribute remain undisclosed. Yael Arad, chairwoman of the Israel Olympic Committee, acknowledged the possibility of such threats and stated, "We anticipated this. We’ve prepared our athletes with guidance and held numerous meetings on the matter," according to Walla.